Vented window latch



United States Patent 3,135,543 VENTED WINDOW LATCH Robert .I. Ingalls,R0. Box 287, Cotton, Calif. Filed Mar. 12, 1963, Ser'. No. 264,669 3Claims. (Cl. 292--262) This invention relates to a vented window latchand relates more particularly to a device for locking windows in avented position so that they cannot be tampered with from outside thewindow.

As conducive to a better understanding of the instant invention it is tobe understood that in most windows used today there are two slidablymounted sashes arranged in side by side relationship and it isconventional to provide the lower portion of the upper or outer sashwith keeper means and the upper portion of the lower or inner sash witha latching means which is detachably engageable with the keeper means tolock the windows in closed relationship. However, it is very oftendesirable to have the windows open a slight amount to allow for properventilation and it has been rare with devices known heretofore, to locka vented window so that it could not be tampered with from the outside.

It is therefore an object of this invention to provide a vented windowlatch which will allow the sashes in a conventional window to be lockedin a partly open position.

It is another object of this invention to provide a device of thecharacter described which is engageable with the conventional lockingmeans on the window and will convert the same from a completely closedlocking means to a partially open or vented locking means.

A further object of this invention is to provide a device for lockingwindows in a vented position having a first auxiliary lockingmeans-adapted to engage the keeper means on one (usually the outer) ofthe sashes of a window and a second auxiliary locking means adapted tobe detachably engaged with the latching means on the other of (usuallythe inner) the two sashes when the windows are in partly openedrelationship.

Another object of this invention is to provide a vented window latchwhich is resilient and has pressure means which will bear against thewindow pane to assist in preventing the loosening or detaching of thedevice by an unauthorized person.

A still further object of this invention is the provision of such adevice wherein the first auxiliary locking means includes rightangularly disposed flanges to engage on opposite sides of theconventional reverted hook of the keeper means on one of the sashes tofurther prevent the unauthorized removal of the latching means.

Other and further objects reside in the combination of elements,arrangement of parts, and features of construction.

Still other objects will in part be obvious and in part be pointed outas the description of the invention proceeds and as shown in theaccompanying drawing wherein:

FIGURE 1 is an inside elevational view through a convnetionaldouble-sash window having a vented window latch in accordance with theinstant invention secured thereto to lock the sashes in partly openedrelationship;

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged inside elevational View of the device of theinstant invention showing the conventional locking means on the sashesof the window in dottted lines as they would be engaged with the instantvented window latch to lock the window in partly opened relationship,with parts being broken away for illustrative clarity;

FIGURE 3 is an enlarged left side elevational view of the device asshown in FIGURE 2 with portions of the sashes and their conventionallocking means being shown in dotted lines;

3,135,543 Patented June 2, 1964 FIGURE 4 is an enlarged rear elevationalview of the vented window latch of the instant invention;

FIGURE 5 is a transverse cross-sectional view taken substantially online 5-5 of FIGURE 4 looking upward;

FIGURE 6 is a transverse cross-sectional view taken substantially online 66 of FIGURE 4 looking downward; and

FIGURE 7 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view taken substantially online 77 of FIGURE 4.

Like reference characters refer to like parts throughout the severalviews of the drawing.

Referring now to the drawing in general and to FIG- URE l moreparticularly, a conventional-window is designated by the referencenumeral 10 and includes a frame portion 12 having an inside sill 14, anupper sash 16 and a lower sash 18. Each of the sashes 16 and 18 includesa frame portion 20 and 22, respectively, and a window portion 24 and 26,respectively. As will be seen more clearly in FIGURES 2 and 3 the uppersash 16 includes a conventional keeper means 28 secured insideof and tothe top of the lower member 30 of the frame portion 20. A conventionallatching means 32 is secured to the top of the upper frame member 34 ofthe lower sash 18 and is rotatable about a pivotal connection 36 in awellknown manner to detachably engage its upwardly extending cam typelocking member 38 with the reverted hook 49 on the keeper means 28 in awell-known manner (not shown).

Referring now more particularly to FIGURES 47 the vented window latch ofthe instant invention is designated generally by the reference numeral50 and includes an elongated generally planar body member 52 preferablyformed of a resilient material such as spring steel or the like. Thelower end is formed into a first auxiliary locking means including areverted hook 54 and a pair of right angularly disposed flange members56 for a purpose to be described more fully hereinafter. v

The upper end of the vented window latch 50 is formed into a secondauxiliary locking means including a connecting member 58 and anangularly bent reverted hook 6b with a bend line at an angle ofapproximately to the longitudinal axis of the elongated member 52, thefuntcion of which will be described in greater detail.

At the bottom of the connecting member 58 are two elongated pressuremembers 62 bent at substantially right angles to the plane of member 62.

The use and operation of the device of the instant invention will now beapparent. The reverted hook 54 of the first auxiliary locking means isengaged under the reverted hook 4% of the keeper means on the upper sash16 with the right angularly disposed flange member 56 on each side ofthe reverted hook 40 and contacting the base of the keeper, to therebyprevent accidental or unauthorized disengagement of the books 54 and 40respectively by working the first auxiliary locking means sideways. Thesubstantially right angularly disposed elongated pressure members 62bear upwardly against the upper sash of the inner window and also bearhorizontally transversely against the glass window portion 26 of thelower sash 18 just below the glaze line as will be seen best in FIG- URE3 to assist in keeping the first auxiliary locking means tightlyengaged. The connecting member 58 is dimensioned to receive the upperframe member 34 of the lower or inner sash 18. The angularly disposedreverted hook 60 of the second auxiliary locking means is then engagedby the upstanding cam type locking member 38 on the second locking means32, as illustrated in FIGURES 2 and 3 to lock the window in the ventedposition shown in FIGURE 1. Since the upwardly disposed conventional camtype locking member 38 has an arcuate upper surface, it will befrictionally pressed against the inner surface of the reverted hook 60of the second auxiliary locking means as it is turned to its usuallocking position. Thus, the entire device maintains the window locked ina position opened sufliciently to provide ventilation but not enough toallow unauthorized entry.

It is to be understood that the elongated member 52 can be made invarious lengths such as 2, 4 or 6 inches to allow the user to open thewindow a predetermined amount. It is also within the skill of the art torender the elongated member 52 longitudinally adjustable with a positivesecuring means (not shown) so that the amount of ventilation can bereadily varied,

It will now be seen that there is herein provided a vented window latchwhich satisfies all of the objectives of the instant invention andothers, including many advantages of great practical utility andcommercial importance.

Since many embodiments may be made of the instant inventive concept andsince many modifications may be made of the embodiments hereinbeforeshown and described, it is to be understood that all mattter herein isto be interpreted merely as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

I claim:

1. A latching device for use in a window having outer and inner sashesmovable relative to each other between a closed position and a ventedposition,

the outer sash having a reverted hook keeper means, with a base of thelatter means secured to said sash, and the inner sash having a latchingmeans secured thereto, said latching means including a rotatably mountedcam type locking member for detachably engaging said keeper means whensaid sashes are in said closed position,

said device comprising an elongated planar body member having endportions, the length of said elongated member approximately the distanceone sash is moved from a closed to a vented position,

a first auxiliary locking means at one end of said elongated memberengageable with said keeper means on said outer sash and including bothan axially aligned reverted hook which is engageable with the inside ofsaid reverted hook of said keeper means to prevent by compressiontherebetween longitudinal movement thereof and to prevent transverseseparatory movement therebetween, and a pair of flange members rightangularly disposed with respect to the plane of said body member andspaced on each side of said reverted hook and directed towards the baseof the keeper to prevent relative movement of said one end of theelongated member towards said hook base and to prevent longitudinalcompressive movements between said flange members and the adjacent sashof the outer window,

and a second auxiliary locking means at the other end of said elongatedmember, said latter locking means possessing pressure members which areengageable from below with said inner sash, and also hook meansengageable from above with said rotatably mounted cam latching means onsaid inner sash, to cooperatively prevent longitudinal movement betweensaid elongated member and said inner sash, when said sashes are in saidwindow vented position.

2. A device in accordance With claim 1 wherein,

said pressure members are a pair of elongated arms bent at approximateright angles from the plane of the elongated body in a directionopposite to said flange members and of a length to bear against the edgeof a pane of glass in said inner sash when said device is in operativerelationship to thus also prevent transverse movement of said bodymember towards the sash of the inner window and to align said latterhook means with the rotatably mounted cam.

3. A device in accordance with claim 2 wherein,

said latter hook means are bent from the plane of the body and over thecam and the bend line approximates an angle of with respect to the longitudinal axis of the body member.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS965,987 Cavileer Aug. 2, 1910 1,562,972 Kohnert Nov. 24, 1925 2,117,072Woods May 10, 1938 OTHER REFERENCES Popular Mechanics, February 1956,page 224.

1. A LATCHING DEVICE FOR USE IN A WINDOW HAVING OUTER AND INNER SASHESMOVABLE RELATIVE TO EACH OTHER BETWEEN A CLOSED POSITION AND A VENTEDPOSITION, THE OUTER SASH HAVING A REVERTED HOOK KEEPER MEANS, WITH ABASE OF THE LATTER MEANS SECURED TO SAID SASH, AND THE INNER SASH HAVINGA LATCHING MEANS SECURED THERETO, SAID LATCHING MEANS INCLUDING AROTATABLY MOUNTED CAM TYPE LOCKING MEMBER FOR DETACHABLY ENGAGING SAIDKEEPER MEANS WHEN SAID SASHES ARE IN SAID CLOSED POSITION, SAID DEVICECOMPRISING AN ELONGATED PLANAR BODY MEMBER HAVING END PORTIONS, THELENGTH OF SAID ELONGATED MEMBER APPROXIMATELY THE DISTANCE ONE SASH ISMOVED FROM A CLOSED TO A VENTED POSITION, A FIRST AUXILIARY LOCKINGMEANS AT ONE END OF SAID ELONGATED MEMBER ENGAGEABLE WITH SAID KEEPERMEANS ON SAID OUTER SASH AND INCLUDING BOTH AN AXIALLY ALIGNED REVERTEDHOOK WHICH IS ENGAGEABLE WITH THE INSIDE OF SAID REVERTED HOOK OF SAIDKEEPER MEANS TO PREVENT BY COMPRESSION THEREBETWEEN LONGITUDINALMOVEMENT THEREOF AND TO PREVENT TRANSVERSE SEPARATORY MOVEMENTTHEREBETWEEN, AND A PAIR OF FLANGE MEMBERS RIGHT ANGULARLY DISPOSED WITHRESPECT TO THE PLANE OF SAID BODY MEMBER AND SPACED ON EACH SIDE OF SAIDREVERTED HOOK AND DIRECTED TOWARDS THE BASE OF THE KEEPER TO PREVENTRELATIVE MOVEMENT OF SAID ONE END OF THE ELONGATED MEMBER TOWARDS SAIDHOOK BASE AND TO PREVENT LONGITUDINAL COMPRESSIVE MOVEMENTS BETWEEN SAIDFLANGE MEMBERS AND THE ADJACENT SASH OF THE OUTER WINDOW, AND A SECONDAUXILIARY LOCKING MEANS AT THE OTHER END OF SAID ELONGATED MEMBER, SAIDLATTER LOCKING MEANS POSSESSING PRESSURE MEMBERS WHICH ARE ENGAGEABLEFROM BELOW WITH SAID INNER SASH, AND ALSO HOOK MEANS ENGAGEABLE FROMABOVE WITH SAID ROTATABLY MOUNTED CAM LATCHING MEANS ON SAID INNER SASH,TO COOPERATIVELY PREVENT LONGITUDINAL MOVEMENT BETWEEN SAID ELONGATEDMEMBER AND SAID INNER SASH, WHEN SAID SASHES ARE IN SAID WINDOW VENTEDPOSITION.